particulars following First I must believe that they are as infallible as God is and that it is as impossible for them to erre as it is for God to erre Secondly That no man nor woman shall ever attain to any higher measure of the grace of God then they and that they are come to the highest Revelation that can be attainable by the Spirit of God Thirdly And that there is no more to be made known by the Spirit of God in the Sons and Daughters of men but what is already made known to them Fourthly Or if there be any thing more to be revealed by the spirit of God that God will make it known to them and to none else the which thing I cannot believe Friends I would have you seriously to take into your consideration some of your Doctrines and Principles which are commonly preached amongst us how they can stand with Gods Soveraignty Dominion and Glory that either the Seed or God should arise in man Whether the Light or Spirit Seed and God be not all one and the same thing And how came this Seed of God to be under or beneath in man And by what shall this Seed or God in man be raised again and from whence shall that power come the which shall raise up God or the Seed in Man into his Dominion again if he hath lost his Kingdom in man seeing that you preach that the Seed of God must be raised in man And whether the appearance of God in man to man by his Spirit be not for the quickning and raising of man both Soul and Body out of a state of bondage and captivity and not for the raising of God or the Seed out of bondage or captivity for the Light or the Creator hath not been in bondage and captivity but the whole Creation that God made in man that hath been both in bondage and captivity being under the power of Darkness for God hath not lost but the Gospel hath been hid in God whilst man and woman hath been lost You see and if you can either vindicate or justifie some of your Doctrines or Practices and also your Authority either by the spirit of truth or the Scriptures of truth or the form of sound words otherwise it is high time for you to lay aside your preachings among the people called Quakers and come and sit down with them in silence again Let the Eleven Elders or any of them or any that join with them write me an Answer for the vindication both of your Authority Doctrines and Practices For man in the beginning was created in the Light and the Darkness was near him but yet the Light had dominion over him and it was his habitation but Adam went out of Eden in the day of his transgression and then God cursed the Serpent and he also judged man for his disobedience and he was driven out of the Garden because of his sin and transgression but still God kept his dominion in the Garden over man to his condemnation and he placed the flaming Sword at Edens gate to keep the way of the tree of Life against the first man Adam so long as he did abide in a state of sin and transgression Friends the Kingdom of Heaven is within all men and women and Heaven is above Hell and the Light is above Darkness in all the Sons and Daughters of men and Life is above death and truth is above error and God that made the world is in the world and above the God of the world and the Light is the higher power and Gods Throne is above the Devils in all the Sons and Daughters of men yea in the wickedst of men the seed in both man and woman it is both God and Christ and it is above the seed of the Serpent in all as he is in himself and his dominion is over all who is God blessed for ever The seed is to redeem and not to be redeemed the soul is to be awakened and to be quickned by the seed that never sinned and to be raised from under the power of death and to be brought up into dominion by the spirit of Life over the power of death for the seed within must bruise the Serpents head within and deliver the Soul from under the power of death within for the seed is to quicken and not to be quickened and God is to raise and not to be raised Gods Throne is established in Justice and Judgement in wicked men over them to their condemnation because of their sin and transgression and his Throne is also established in love and mercy over them that obey him The Light is to descend and the day spring from on high is to visit the souls of the Sons and Daughters of men for they are to be lifted up by the arm of Gods power revealed from Heaven for man had his habitation in God once but man lost his habitation in God but God kept his habitation in man for the power of God in man he is above the Devils power in man for God that made man is in him and man is not above his maker nor the Creature is not above his Creator God who made all things by the word of his power and man also in his power this God was never disthroned but man was dispossessed of his habitation in God in the day of his transgression against God for the Mount Sion is above Mount Sinai and the heavenly Jerusalem is above the house of Bondage and God who is the Judge of all he is in all yea and above all that is in man or ever was in man who is God comprehended in himself blessed for ever Amen For God never lost his Kingdom nor Dominion in man although the Devil and man both lost their first habitation in God and the Devil is never like to enjoy his again but there is hopes for man and woman through their believing in the Light and receiving of the truth for them to receive life again Wherefore I do own the Light the Life the spirit and power in man to be both the resurrection and the life as he is in himself and he is also both man and womans redemption as by his power within their souls comes to be raised from death to life again but I deny the resurrection of the power and spirit of God in man or woman or that ever the seed which is Gods spirit and power that it ever came under the Devils power in man or woman or that ever the Devil had dominion over God wherefore God is not to arise in man nor woman but we are to be raised by the arme of his power revealed from Heaven within for the man-child hath been caught up to God in this long night of Apostacy which hath been over the Gentiles wherefore Christ the Light within stands in need of no blessing for he is everlastingly blessed and happy in himself without either beginning of days or end of life
and there is a blessing to be revealed from Heaven in the seed unto all that believe in God and obey him which is Christ the Light within for Friends the Light in man was never blinded neither was the seed by the earthly power never covered but the Light hath all along discovered mans sin unto him neither hath mans mind been blinded so that he could not see nor yet behold that glory the which was to be revealed in the Light and his mind also was blinded so as he could no way find power against sin that so he might escape the wrath which was due unto him for his sin and transgression For Friends the power of darkness which is the Devil ever since the day he was cast down from Heaven he could never get up into Heaven since although he may have assumed to do such a thing but he had power to draw our first Parents out of Heaven but it was by their yielding to his temptation that it came to be so with Adam and Eve and so he got the dominion over both their Souls and Bodies and all that God had made by his power within them and if the Serpent could never get up into Heaven again then I am sure he could never get above Heaven nor yet above the Seed nor yet above the Life which is the Light in every man and woman but the Devil hath had dominion over us both Souls and Bodies for we being by sin and transgression made partakers of his nature were Children of wrath as well as others Wherefore the Seed is not to arise in man nor yet to be brought up into his Kingdom except God had lost his Kingdom and power in man the which he never did and if he had lost his Kingdom and power in man from whence shall that power come that shall bring him up into his Kingdom and power again but man and woman they are to be awakened by the Lords Trumpet which from Heaven within hath sounded and the Souls which have been dead as to God and buried in the grave of sin and death which both was and is the power of darkness which is the Devil they are to hear the voice of the Son of God from within who have slept the sleep of death under the power of sin they are to arise from the dead by hearing and obeying the voice of the Son of God within and so read Lazarus the Figure who had been buried four days how the Trumpet sounded from Heaven and Lazarus was raised and so must we be raised by the same voice spirit and power must we come both to feel and witness Christ the Light within to be our resurrection and our life by feeling and receiving his power revealed from Heaven within to the raising of our Souls out of the grave of death and sin the which both our Souls and Bodies have been buryed in for it is we that are to be raised from under the bondage of corruption by the Spirit that never sinned nor yet saw corruption for it s we that have been sown in weakness that are to be raised by the arm of Gods power revealed for it s we that have been sown in dishonour which are to be raised up by the spirit of Glory for it s we that have born the image of the earthly man who are to bear the image of the heavenly man as our Souls come to be raised from death to life again for it was the first man Adam who was made a living Soul that was degenerated and by reason of his sin and transgression from the life was alienated and he also by the power of death was captivated therefore it is the first man Adam that is to be both awakened and quickned and raised by the arm of Gods power revealed from Heaven within and he must also receive power from the second Adam who is a quickening spirit and the Lord from Heaven by which he comes to be made willing to put off the old man and his deeds which is the power of darkness And so the first man Adam comes to be restored to God again by his putting on the new man as he witnesses being regenerate and born again of the spirit of God And so here followeth a relation of something that passed between Thomas Manning the Baptist and I and also a declaration of the ground and main difference that arose between some of the Quakers and I before I did disown the body of the Quakers it was because that I said that I did not own Justification nor Condemnation by Christ that dyed without the gates of Jerusalem And here followeth the Copy of a Paper the which Giles Barnadiston gave to me signifying that both he and others did disown my words and also my answer to the paper which he gave me the which were all sent to the quarterly meeting at Ipswich And also the answer that they sent me and also the several particular causes for the which I both did and do disown my self to be a member of the Body or visible Church called Quakers And also 23 Questions or Queries for any of them to answer who question the work of God in me I will ask them one Querie and let them answer me and let them ask me another and I shall answer them any of those who look upon themselves to be in the Ministry and own the Authority or Superiority of the Eleven Elders Thomas Manning I own Salvation by no other Christ but by him that dwelt in that Body when it was upon the Earth who through the Eternal Spirit offered up his Body a Sacrifice once for all that so he by the Grace of God might tast death for every man and so became Eternal Salvation to all them that obeys the measure of his spirit revealed in the Light of Christ which is in them and so I own him to be the Christ and the Saviour to the ends of the Earth and this both was and is Christ the Light within the hope of Glory Jeffery Bullock This testimony of mine as concerning him who both was and is the salvation of the ends of the Earth was owned both by William Dewsbery and Robert Duncon who are two as ancient Friends as most are in England and as well approved of in their Ministry by Friends Jeffery Bullock I have received thy testimony and declaration of thy Faith but as soon as I looked on a few words I soon espyed thy Subtilty Thou saist that thou ownest Salvation by no other Christ but by him that dwelt in that body when it was upon the earth how canst thou prove that Christ in that body to be Christ without that body for both that body and spirit in that body maketh that man Christ Jesus For if that spirit in that body be Christ without that body then that Eternal Spirit dyed upon the Cross because Christ dyed for our sins according to the Scripture but I think thou wilt not say the
their sin and sheweth unto them their state and condition then the Saviour and Salvation of the ends of the earth hath been both within man and woman ever since the day of their first creation For although the Lord came in Abraham and begot the type in Sarah when it ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of women even so the Lord when the fulness of time was come he by the Holy Ghost overshadowed the Virgin Mary and he begot the Ante-type in her who was the end of all Types without her having any knowledge of a visible man but these things did but little concern the Gentiles although we have the history of them only all the world was freed from their offerings for sin by that one offering and also they were outwardly reconciled to God by the death of his Son and so there was to be no more outward offerings for sin but we must be redeemed justified and also saved by a measure of the same life that dwelt in the Son in which life the Son of God offered up his Soul and Body to be crucified to the death a sacrifice once for all then no salvation to the Souls of the Sons and Daughters of men by him that dyed without the Gates at Jerusalem but in and by him alone who was both without beginning of dayes or end of life a measure or a manifestation of which spirit is given to every man wherein alone stands mans Condemnation Redemption Justification Life and Salvation Restauration and Sanctification and this Salvation was in the world before Christs body came and the same that ever was the Saviour now is and not another so he that dyed without the Gates at Jerusalem was the man in the mystery the mystery being in him he being one with the mystery was comprehended by the mystery and so he was the Christ of God being one with the Spirit of God but it was the womans part that dyed that was his Soul and Body for it was Eve that had been in the transgression but the mans part which was the Godhead that dwelt in that body he never sinned nor yet saw corruption therefore he never dyed and that both was and is he which ever liveth and was without beginning of dayes or end of life Now Christ as he was a visible man and made of a visible woman made under the Law he internally dyed as to his Soul and Body and did put an end to all outward external sacrifices and services But the Christ the mystery the light the life and the word of eternal life and the salvation of the ends of the earth the which dwelt in that body he never dyed Now I do deny that ever any man or woman either was or shall be redeemed from death to life by that blood the which was spilt without the Gates at Jerusalem or that ever any did drink of that outward blood or that ever any were inwardly cleansed from sin by that outward blood and what are all outward cleansings if so be the heart and conscience be defiled Wherefore every one that comes to be inwardly cleansed it must be in and by the receiving and enjoying a measure of the same life the fulness of which life dwelt in Christs body when it was upon the earth the which spirit God hath poured forth upon all the Sons and Daughters of men wherein alone Life and Salvation Justification and Condemnation is placed and this is Gods own spirit and the invisible man Christ whom God hath by his own right hand exalted in the Sons and Daughters of men both as a Prince and a Saviour First as a Prince in manifesting his power to condemn both man and woman because of their sin and rebellion and disobedience against him And secondly as a Saviour both to redeem them justifie them and also to save them if they come to have their minds turned to him and to believe in him and obey him Now it is the mans part wherein the first man Adam was created the which God hath exalted as a Prince and a Saviour that is he which never sinned and not Eve the womans part which by the Serpent was lead into sin and transgression that part hath not God exalted as a Prince and a Saviour for she was to be redeemed both Soul and Body and so it was Eve the first woman which was in the transgression and not God who made the first man Adam a living Soul which Soul was lead into transgression by yielding to the councel of the Serpent in Eve the first woman for there is a Soul or an invisible woman the which God did make and place in every visible man and this is she that hath born the image of the earthly man and hath been one with the Serpent and now she is to be begotten regenerated and born again of the Spirit of God who is the heavenly man and this is the seed the which every invisible woman in every visible man is to bear which seed alone hath power to bruise the Serpents head in every visible man and woman and this must be done before she can truly bear the image of the heavenly man again For Eve she was a visible woman but she conceived and bore the first invisible man who was that son of perdition and the power of darkness which brought death over all that God had made in the Sons and Daughters of men as to the invisible creation of God but the Lords promise both was and is that he would create all things new and the Lords new Creation it is invisible for although Mary did bear that visible man Christ who was begotten in and by an invisible power and spirit yet she stood in need of God to be her Saviour for she saith her soul did magnifie the Lord and her spirit did rejoyce in God her Saviour and I do believe that after she was delivered of that visible man Christ that still her God and Saviour did remain in her although that visible babe was outwardly separated from her and so I do believe that whatsoever was given forth in time among the Jews as concerning all outward worship in time it was ended when Christs body was offered up and the belief and faith of all must stand in the mystery of that Light and Life which God hath now in the Gentiles revealed and Antichrists faith and belief which he hath brought in among the Gentiles in this night of Apostacy that must be overturned both root and branch by the Light which God hath revealed Friends I do believe that this writing of mine that it is written from the testimony of Jesus in me and I would willingly hear your Judgement as concerning it at our next monthly mans meeting at Sudbury for it is generally reported amongst many of the chief Inhabitants of this Town of Sudbury that I am disowned by the Quakers or at leastwise shall be if I be not already because of my blasphemous Doctrine
for her place is to be obedient and in subjection to her Husband for the first visible man God formed of the dust of the ground and God created and made the first invisible man Adam a living Soul and he was under the dominion of the heavenly power and spirit and then he was a heavenly man but he lending an ear to the Serpent when he spake in the woman and by his receiving of his counsel the Serpent beguiled him as he had done the woman and so he lost the enjoyment of the heavenly power and so he became like the woman he being brought under the dominion of the earthly spirit and power and so he lost his habitation in God and was brought under the power of death Friends I do not own the judgement and opinion of those Ministers nor yet their superiority who saith he that is not justified by the witness of God in friends is condemned by it in himself now Justification is by Christ alone who is the head in every member and the only rule for them to walk by and if they sin against him then he is their reprover and also their condemner and chastiser And again you say in your paper that none are to minister but those who are reconciled to the Church and have the approbation of the Elders Now the Scripture saith that God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself and not to the Church I do remember no such Scripture Now Christ the Light within he will not give his power and authority out of his own hand to any man or men for unto him alone is all Judgement in Heaven and Earth committed in matters of conscience but you say it is abominable pride in any who will not admit of any Judgment to take place against them whom you do look upon as an offender but I say all power both to judge and to condemn and also to justifie and to reconcile it properly belongs to the Light who is the head in every member Wherefore this is my testimony that you never received your authority from God who is the Light within neither will the Scriptures justifie your authority Wherefore I would have you in Gods witness seriously to consider what you have done in putting that writing of yours upon record for that may prove as great a snare to the generation of the Quakers in ages to come as the authority of the Church of Rome hath been to the Papists in ages and generations past and is to this day And Friends this I have further to bear my testimony against that is your imposing such Books upon Friends as you shall think good to put to print When these Books came first into the Country among the Churches called Quakers then every member was left free either to buy them or to let them alone and if Friends did not buy them nor they could not be sold to others then they were to be returned to the quarterly meeting again and then the thing was well but now it is not so for now the Churches must take them off and that which is almost as bad is this that the money which is gathered as collection amongst us for the relief of the poor out of that money the books must be paid for and so the old English Proverb is fulfilled the poor must pay for all Friends this is a thing I do believe was scarce ever heard of that some should print packets of several books and injoyn others to buy them Friends in these things you do not only put a yoak of Bondage upon your Brethren but you also rob God of his honour whose right it is alone both to rule and raign in the Churches and to have the dominion over them because that he by his invisible spirit and power at first did gather them for there is so much of his spirit and power both manifested and given to man and woman that if they hear the spirit and own Christ the Light within and believe in him and obey his voice that then he will manifest his power in the redeeming their Souls from death to life for it is not Christ the Light in me which can redeem neither man nor woman neither is it Christ the Light in any man or men neither Churches nor Bodies which can redeem my Soul from death to life wherefore your dictates and impositions is no rule for me to walk by except that Christ the Light in you can do these things following for me which Christ the Light in me is able to do for me and also for all that hears his voice and obeys him For Christ the Light within me is able to bruise the Serpents head and he is able to break down the partition Wall that separates between God and my Soul and he is able to open my understanding and to open the book of the Scriptures and also rend the vail of my understanding and he is able to make me wiser then all my teachers he is able to cleanse my Soul from sin and to give me true rest and peace and he is able to sanctifie both Soul and Body he is able to redeem my Soul to himself and to keep me in the greatest hour of temptation that can come upon me and the Light within is able to reconcile both man and woman to God again and Christ the Light within is able to lead him into captivity who hath captivated my Soul and he is able to give life to my Soul and to raise it from under the power of death and darkness and to translate it into the Kingdom of Light and Life he is also able to break and he is also able to bind up that which he hath broken and to heal that which he hath wounded and to convince the whole world of sin and he is able to Justifie both man and woman If either Men Ministers or Elders Bodies or Churches are able to do any of these foregoing things for me then shall their dictates and impositions be a rule for me to walk by Now I do believe that God who is Light and shews unto man his thoughts that he is infallible and that there is no fallibility attends him but there is a fallibility attends all those who are regenerated and born of the Spirit of God who is Light and that it is possible for them to err from the Light again the enemy which is the power of darkness presenting to them the fruit of the tree of knowledge whilst they are in Eden their minds taking delight in it and they feeding upon it the enemy hath power to draw their minds out of Eden again Wherefore I do believe that I ought not to subject my self to what the Church imposeth for then I must believe that it is God in them which doth impose those Yoakes of bondage upon their Brethren and also that the Church is infallible and cannot erre which thing I do not believe for then I must believe these several
Godhead is dead because thou saist it is revealed in every man so then if that spirit in that body be not Christ without that body but both body and spirit make that man Christ Jesus And thou ownest salvation by that spirit onely without that body thou ownest not salvation by Christ O Jeffery why wilt thon deny the Lord that hath bought thee with his own blood and bring upon thy self destruction for the Godhead dyed not as I have told thee but that body was made a curse by dying that cursed death upon the Tree to take off the curse from them that believe that sacrifice for sin which was a sweet smelling savour to the Lord. By which body offered up he hath for ever perfected them that are sanctified which sacrificed body and offered up bloud if thou reject how canst thou have thy cursed sins pardoned thy defiled conscience purged for without shedding of bloud there is no remission But I will tell thee my Faith I do own salvation cometh alone by that man Christ Jesus the only Son of God who was born of that Espoused Virgin Mary who was Crucified at Jerusalem by which cursed death he did there make an attonement for all and full satisfaction to God the Father for the sins of all that believe in him from the heart and obey his holy will revealed in his word the holy Scriptures of truth that are able to make the man of God wise unto salvation 1 Pet. 2.24 Heb. 10.14 Joh. 20.31 Mat. 7.24,25 Gal. 3.13 I could mind thee with many more Scriptures if thou wouldst hearken thereunto The holy Spirit of God I own and esteem for it is that which First made me to see into my sins and my cursed estate by sin according as is made known in the Scriptures of truth 2ly It did shed the love of God abroad in my soul how that Christ had dyed for my sins 3ly He did help me to lay hold upon the hope set before me without whose help I can do nothing 4ly He did work in my Soul a cruel hatred against all known sins in thoughts words and works 5ly He did work in my Soul a great love to my God and to his Son Jesus to his Children to all known good in words and works in my self and others 6ly He did assure me of redemption of my soul and forgiveness of my sins through the bloud of my Lord Jesus that was shed upon the Cross for me 7ly He did seal home the promises of Eternal Glory to my Sonl promised in the Scriptures of truth to the Sons of God 8ly He did work in my Soul holy reformation and godly resolutions to do and obey whatever my God shall make known unto me to be his will and mind by his spirit and word the Scriptures and that unto death 9ly It did fill my Soul with praises to the God of my life night and day praising him in the spirit admiring his love to my soul in redeeming it with so great a price as the blood of his own Son 10ly The holy spirit did also comfort me and quicken me and made me greatly to rejoyce with Joy unspeakable and full of Glory the which spirit of my God still is with me and giveth me that peace no man can take from me by whose help my desire is to my God I might still be preserved and hold fast the precious faith which I have attained through the Grace of God and my Lord Jesus Christ until he shall come in flaming fire to render vengeance upon the wicked and punish with everlasting destruction from his presence them that obey not the Gospel of Christ and be admired of them that believe Thomas Manning This Testimony of mine is owned by God the Father by his Son Jesus by the holy Spirit by the holy Scriptures by the holy Prophets by the holy Apostles Thou provest thine by two of thine own Friends God the Father I know his Son Jesus I know his holy Spirit I know the holy Scriptures I know to be the mind and will of God but who these thy Witnesses be I know not but if they be Angels come from Heaven if they despise the blood of my Lord Jesus Christ or declare any thing contrary to his will revealed in the Scriptures of truth I do not own them Thomas Manning I received thy paper and thou saist as soon as thou hadst looked on a few words thou saidst thou soon espied my subtilty Friend I had no subtilty in my heart but I plainly wrote the things I own thou askest me how I can prove Christ in that body to be Christ without that body I can prove it both by Pauls testimony and also by the same spirit of God the which Paul did prove it by who told the Corinthians the Fathers drank of the Rock that followed them and that Rock was Christ and he also told the Colossians that the mystery which had been hid from ages and generations past was Christ within the hope of glory and also Christs visible appearance came in that present age but his invisible appearance had been hid from ages and generations past for Christ was with his Church in the Wilderness Again thou saist that body and spirit in that body maketh that man Christ Jesus Now the spirit in that body was the Godhead and thou saist that the Godhead dyed not and thou speakest true for so say I so then it was only that part which the Holy Ghost took from the woman the which died and not the Godhead which both was and is the spirit of God for it was God and the Woman that made the visible man Christ for he was made of a Woman made under the Law as saith the Scripture for Mary she knew no visible man Now cursed be that spirit that shall deny the blood of Christ or the end for which Christs body was offered up and blood was shed for I do believe that all the world were reconciled to God by the death of his Son and that all men were freed from their outward offerings for sin by that one offering and that after the shedding of the blood of that visible man Christ upon the Cross there was to be no more outward killing the sacrifice nor yet shedding of blood for remission of sins But this was not the flesh and the blood which Christ speaks of when he was upon the earth when he said He that eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood he dwelleth in me and I in him and he was then upon the earth as a man like one of us sin only excepted when he spake these words So Friend if thou knowest no other body nor blood to feed upon but that which dyed and was shed out of Christs body without the gates of Jerusalem thy Soul may perish for all the knowledge which thou hast of the Scriptures Now Christ in the days of his flesh exhorted people to believe in the Light and to bring their deeds